Old School Wins The Mail Battle...For Now

For all of you still wondering if snail mail or e-mail is more effective, there is a new study published by ICR.

Granted, it was conducted by the red inkers at Pitney Bowes and I am assuming that there may be a little bit of a skew in the numbers, but the numbers clearly indicate that consumers prefer TRADITIONAL direct mail over direct email.

The study found that an overwhelming 73% still preferred receiving unsolicited information about products and company services in "snail-mail" format. The number jumps to 86% when asked if about confidential information like banking statements and financial reports.

Here is one statistic reported that makes me think that the numbers are a bit skewed. When asked about disposal of unsolicited mail, 31% of the respondants said that they were less likely to dispose of normal mail. This sort of forces me assume that over 60% (a number conveniently left out) are likely to dispose of the hard mail. However 53% said they were likely to delete an unopened email.

In the end, it appears that U.S. consumers still prefer the "tried and true" traditional mail format. I am sure this may change in the future but when you are contemplating your next mail campaign you might want to stick with what people prefer.

Need help on your next direct mail campaign? Give IMT a call at 319-232-4332